Hat carton



Jan. 14, 1947. E. c. JOHNSON 2,414,203

HAT CARTON Original Filed Sept. 16, 1943 INVENTOR. [VE/FEI'T c. uowvsomATTaR/vEr 5 Patented Jan. 14, 1947 HAT CARTON Everett 0. Johnson,Berwyn, Ill., assignor to Montgomery Ward & 00., Incorporated, Chi cago,111., a corporation of Illinois Substituted for application Serial No.502,584, September 16, 1943. This application February 12,1945, SerialNo. 577,354

2 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to cartons, and more particularly to cartonsespecially adapted for the shipment of light weight merchandiserequiring positioning within the carton such as hats and the like.

Heretofore in cartons adapted to safely package hats, a filler structureadapted to maintain the hat in one position was required, whichstructure was of a complicated costly nature, and entirely separate fromthe carton.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carton for theshipment of hats and the like, wherein the hat is maintained in a properposition within the carton by simplified means, at least a portion ofwhich is formed from the carton structure itself.

A further object of the invention is to provide a carton in which onepair of the usual overlapping flaps is cut to form a centering boss orhub within the carton on the top or bottom side of the carton.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a carton bent upportions of a pair of the carton closure fiaps to form, in cooperationwith a tubular transverse member to be placed in the carton, a rigidcentering and holding construction for centering a hat shaped itemWithin the carton.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear morefully from the following detailed description, when taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing. It is expressly understood, however, thatthe drawing is employed for purposes of illustration only and are notdesigned as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference beinghad for this purpose to the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicatelike parts:

Figure l is a perspective view of a carton embodying the invention, thetop fiaps being open and a portion thereof being broken away to show theinside detail.

Figure 2 is a section taken on the plane 2-2 of Figure 1, as viewedupwardly, the outer top flaps, however, being shown closed.

Referring to the drawing, a substantially standard rectangularcorrugated cardboard carton, modified in accordance with the invention,is illustrated. The carton comprises sides 18 and I2, and ends l4 andI6, together with their appended top and bottom flaps, it beingappreciated that such cartons with the appended flaps of the respectivesides folded parallel therewith are shipped in large quantities foldedfiat. By

2 folded flat is meant the diagonally opposite corners, for example, l8and 20 are flattened while the corners 22 and 24 are bent to a fulldegrees.

The ends l4 and I6 are provided with their usual bottom flaps 26 and 28,which together with the bottom flaps 30 and 32 of the sides I0 and I2.

cooperate to close the bottom of the carton when set up as shown inFigure 2.

In order to provide a centering boss or inwardly projecting shoulderadapted as in the illustration to fit within the crown of a hat 34, theends of the top fiaps 36 and 38 appended to the sides of the top flaps36 and 38 appended to the sides I6 and I8 are cut inwardly from theirside edges, along the lines 35 and 31, toward the center, but short ofthe center and parallel to the end edge 39 of the flap. There is thusprovided a center section 40, adapted to be bent inwardly as shown onthe line 4|, and centrally bent tongue portion 42 and 44 adapted tocooperate with the center section, and a similar set of tongues upon theopposite flaps 38 to form a substantially sixsided hollow stub centeringpost, adapted to be resiliently sprung within the crown of the hat 34.

To hold the hat upwardly against the top cover and in position over thecentering post or boss formed from the portions 40 and tongues 42 and44, a tubular member 48 is provided, which may be of cardboard or thelike, and which is of sufficient length to fit against the outside uppersurface of the brim of the hat or other item to be held, closelyadjacent to the crown thereof, and to support the brim of the hatagainst the top flaps 36 and '38 from the bottom flaps 26 and 28.

To pack a hat in such a carton, the bottom flaps are closed and sealedin any suitable manner. The tubular member 48 is assembled around thehat, the hat and tube inverted and inserted into the carton. The centralportion 40 and tongues 42 and 44 of each flap 36 and 38 are next bentinto the crown of the hat, and the top side flaps 50 and 52 folded downand seated. Thus through the simple addition of a light tubular element,and a common strawboard carton, a rugged safe carton for shipment oflight objects, such as hats, is provided.

Though the invention has been illustrated and described in a singleembodiment of rectangular shape and is adapted for special applicationto hats or the like, it will be appreciated that the invention is notlimited thereto, but may be em-V bodied in various modifications andarrange ments which may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention as will befapparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of thelimits of the invention.

This application is a substitute for my application Ser. No. 502,584,filed Sept. 16, 1943.

What is claimed is:

1. A carton for a hat or the like, comprising a bottom, side walls, andtransversely arranged pairs of non-overlapping closing flaps, each pairbeing adapted to close the carton to a substantial degree, and one pairbeing Within the other pair when in closed position and means on saidone pair of flaps formed wholly from the flaps and extending within thecarton and projecting into the crown of a hat, :said means comprising aninwardly folded portion of each flap folded on a line parallel to theflap fold with the said portion severed from opposite sides along theportion fold to provide tongues, said tongues being bent toward theopposite flap on a fold extending perpendicular to the plane of theclosing flaps, and means extending from the .bottom'for maintaining ahat with its crown centered around said projecting means.

2..A rectangular :carton comprising a bottom,

edge substantially parallel with the hinged edge,

each of' said flaps having a marginal portion parallel to said lastnamed edge, adapted for centering an object within the carton, saidmarginal portion being severed from the flap from the transverse edgesinwardly to a point short of the center to provide opposed tongue partsand a central portion, said tongue parts being foldable along linesparallel with the transverse edges, and

said central portion being foldable along the unsevered portionof theline of severance, whereby said :central portions of the marginalportions of each flap may be folded inwardly of the carton, and saidtongues folded toward the center of the cover flaps, to form a six-sidedinwardly extending boss, said tongues being adapted tobear along thesevered edges against the top, to retain the central portion bentatsubstantially right angles to the remainder of its flap.

EVERETT c. JOHNSON,

